Please Help - Anniversary Dinner Recommendations On A College Student Budget

My boyfriend and I's anniversary is coming up soon and I want to take him out for a really special, romantic dinner. I enjoy researching restaurants and trying new types of food, but we're both college students and my budget is not quite expendable enough for any of the bigger, fancier places that are suggested in many annivesary threads. I'd love to try to keep it to $70-80 in total with tax and tip, but I don't know if this is particularly feasible. It seems like a bit of a stretch, and if so I could probably expand that range a bit more (I don't think I can go past $100). We wouldn't be getting any alcohol with our meal, so I assume that this will help somewhat. Of course, if there's anywhere that I could scoot out under that that would be great (in a perfect world!). The more inexpensive the better, but of course I would rather spend more money and get an amazing meal than pay less for a substandard one.

Both of us are fairly adventurous with what we eat, so there's no particular type of food that we're looking for. We both go to NYU, but the restaurant doesn't have to be in Lower Manhattan or even Manhattan at all. Ideally, it would also be LGBT friendly but this obviously isn't a huge issue in New York City. I'm just looking for a quiet and romantic yet inexpensive place to have a great meal.

I've been looking on Yelp and I've found some places that seem really great (Frankies 457 in Brooklyn, Apizz in the LES, La Lanterna di Vittorio in the Village, Paprika in the East Village...) but, as I said before, I really don't know what I can get away with due to my budget constraints. If you could comment on any of those or provide any suggestions of your own that would be much appreciated!

I would get a bottle of cold champagne and some paninis from 'Ino on Bedford Street and a cake or cookies from Amy's Bread on Bleeker/Leroy Street and grab a blanket and then have a nice picnic on the piers overlooking the Hudson River...

Of the restaurants on that list, I think the standouts are Perry St (Sun-Fri 5:30-6:30 and after 9:30), Allegretti, Apiary, and Momofuku Noodle Bar. Perry St seems the best overall when considering food, decor, and location (overlooking the Hudson river).

I have to say, I love the idea of champagne and blankets. Very romantic. But if you're looking for table service, Perry St would be an excellent choice. My partner and I have had many very good meals there.

If you head somewhere with a $35 prix fixe and don't have any alcohol, then you can get out for $90. for both of you including tax and tip. Many of the restaurants have gone up to $38. for the prix fixe, and you could just squeak in at the $100 for the 2 of you.

If you're able to do lunch instead of dinner, I would agree that Jean Georges would be the first choice. There's been a very slight price hike though: two courses is $29, each additional course is $14.50, while desserts have stayed at $8. The tasting menu at dinner is about $200 per person after tax and tip, so the lunch deal is an amazing bargain. However, you may need three courses to have a filling meal depending on your appetite, so this would push your $50 per person budget.

A very close second to JG is the $28 two course lunch at Eleven Madison Park. If you're looking for a slightly less formal vibe, this is the better choice. Both dining rooms have large windows and views of parks (Central Park for JG, Madison Square Park for EMP), but EMP has the additional benefit of soaring 30 ft ceilings in a classic art deco setting. JG has a much more sleek, contemporary look.